| Jim McGregor was born in Amherstburg, Canada West. He and his family moved to Manitoba in 1877 and he worked with his father’s cattle business in Brandon.((“James Duncan McGregor.” //Wikipedia,// 2020 website: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Duncan_McGregor.)) Starting in 1888, McGregor was a strong political supporter of Clifford Sifton, the federal Minister of the Interior.((Pierre Burton, //The Promised Land: Settling the West 1896-1914.// Doubleday Canada, 2011.)) | Jim McGregor was born in Amherstburg, Canada West. He and his family moved to Manitoba in 1877 and he worked with his father’s cattle business in Brandon.((“James Duncan McGregor.” //Wikipedia,// 2020 website: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Duncan_McGregor.)) Starting in 1886, McGregor was a strong political supporter of Clifford Sifton, the federal Minister of the Interior.((John W. Defoe, //Clifford Sifton in Relation to His Times.// Books For Libraries Press, 1931, reprint 1971: 11.)) |
| In November 1897, Thomas Fawcett closed Dominion Creek to staking after discovering claim-jumping and errors in the records. Sifton appointed McGregor Inspector of Mines in the Yukon that winter.((David R. Morrison, //The Politics of the Yukon Territory, 1898-1909.// University of Toronto Press, 1968: 14-15.)) The job of collecting royalties had, up to this time, been performed by the North-West Mounted Police (NWMP). It was a position with considerable opportunity for graft.((Pierre Burton, //The Promised Land: Settling the West 1896-1914.// Doubleday Canada, 2011.)) In April 1898, prospectors began to stake the hill and bench claims along Dominion, and Fawcett decided to close these new claims as well. A rumour spread that these claims were extremely rich and it was evident that, as soon staking was opened, there would be a stampede. Commissioner Walsh decided to open the creek for staking to those with special permits on 11 July. He then revised his order on July 9 to reserve certain areas for those who had attempted to file claims before McGregor issued his order in April. Rumours spread that some prospectors were informed of the change on July 8 and rushed to stake claims ahead of the crowd. Complaints reached Prime Minister Laurier but Sifton was able to put off an inquiry into the growing scandal until October when William Ogilvie was appointed commissioner and given the power to investigate the complaints.((David R. Morrison, //The Politics of the Yukon Territory, 1898-1909.// University of Toronto Press, 1968: 14-15.)) | In November 1897, Thomas Fawcett closed Dominion Creek to staking after discovering claim-jumping and errors in the records. Sifton appointed McGregor Inspector of Mines in the Yukon that winter.((David R. Morrison, //The Politics of the Yukon Territory, 1898-1909.// University of Toronto Press, 1968: 14-15.)) The job of collecting royalties had, up to this time, been performed by the North-West Mounted Police (NWMP). It was a position with considerable opportunity for graft.((Pierre Burton, //The Promised Land: Settling the West 1896-1914.// Doubleday Canada, 2011.)) In April 1898, prospectors began to stake the hill and bench claims along Dominion, and Fawcett decided to close these new claims as well. A rumour spread that these claims were extremely rich and it was evident that, as soon staking was opened, there would be a stampede. Commissioner Walsh decided to open the creek for staking to those with special permits on 11 July. He then revised his order on July 9 to reserve certain areas for those who had attempted to file claims before McGregor issued his order in April. Rumours spread that some prospectors were informed of the change on July 8 and rushed to stake claims ahead of the crowd. Complaints reached Prime Minister Laurier but Sifton was able to put off an inquiry into the growing scandal until October when William Ogilvie was appointed commissioner and given the power to investigate the complaints.((David R. Morrison, //The Politics of the Yukon Territory, 1898-1909.// University of Toronto Press, 1968: 14-15.)) |
